Category : Press

Here’s a weird story to kick off the new year. Over one billion litres of water have been wasted at a construction site in West Vancouver when an aquifer was breached by an inexperienced drilling team, who then fled the country! It has taken 15 months for repairs to even get to this point, which apparently is incredibly complex, and water is still leaking. So far it’s cost the city nearly $3M.

Canada:

Now’s the time of year to watch out for potential scammers, with Canada Post warning Canadians that mail-forwarding fraud saw a big increase last year. Essentially scammers redirect your mail to new addresses, gathering information from bills and credit card statements. Although, how much mail are you actually getting these days? Scammers would just be getting my Domino’s pizza coupons and real estate junk mail.

US:

We are T-minus 17 days from the Trump Presidential inauguration (yes this is actually happening, you didn’t get to leave that behind in 2016, decisions have consequences so enjoy this one for the next four years). Morgan Stanley is cautioning a volatile stock market in the year ahead with uncertainty in many areas of the economy.

International:

Finland is one of the first countries to launch a universal basic income trial, giving more than 2,000 people a general monthly income of around $600 a month tax-free. UBI is being talked about as a potential globally, with programs in the Netherlands, Uganda and Canada rolling out this year as well.

Tech:

What’s one piece of technology that everyone hates? The printer. With all our complex advancements in tech, the printer has remained relatively unchanged, and hated, for years. Now a new printer has appeared offering inkless printing through the use of infrared beams and could totally revamp printing. You still may have to deal with paper jams though.

Science:

New research into the incubation period of dinosaur eggs may help understand why they went extinct. It is entirely possible that it took up to six months for dino eggs to hatch, putting them at a distinct disadvantage to faster breeding animals.This was a stroke of luck for us, imagine rush hour traffic with brontosaurus’ roaming around? Think about it.

Entertainment:

I honestly can’t think of a better way for 2016 to have ended than with the giant Mariah Carey bomb at Times Square. I really don’t care whose fault it was, watching Mariah crash and burn with style was the physical representation of the year.

Here’s the weekly news debrief, with things to know from around the world for December 19:

Vancouver:

If you’re wondering where that 0.5 per cent tax increase for front line services will be going from the city of Vancouver, just look at the latest drug overdose numbers. By the end of November, BC had recorded 755 deaths due to overdose, a staggering 70 per cent increase over last year. And yes, Fentanyl is largely to blame for this, accounting for 60 per cent of all those case.

Canada:

VW Canada has reached a settlement in the class action lawsuit regarding the massive emissions scandal from late last year. VW will pay out over $2.1 Billion to the over 100,000 Canadians affected, with either vehicle buy-backs or repairs. The scandal has already cost VW over $10 Billion, which is an expensive price tag for a lesson that should have been learned in middle school: don’t cheat on your tests!

US:

Remember the phrase “truth is stranger than fiction” for this next bit. Police barricades around Trump tower are now branded with Tiffany & Co signage. The light blue barricades are just soooo pretty, and bodes well for other luxury brands who will be interested in renting lawn space at the White House. Next year’s Presidential pardoned turkey brought to you by Whole Foods; they have the best, just the best turkey. Look at the size of these turkey legs, they’re yuuuge.

International:

The Russian ambassador to Turkey has been killed in a shooting while attending a photo exhibition. It’s still not known who or why, but Turkey and Russia have been at odds with the handling of Syria.

Tech:

Blackberry has announced a new autonomous vehicle division, which at first glance seems odd from a failing smartphone maker. But, Blackberry’s strongest asset was it’s security, which will be an important factor in maintaining safety in an autonomous future.

Science:

After months of baffling scientists, it’s now believed that a mysterious sound recorded in the depths of the Mariana Trench is a never before recorded Baleen Whale call. It’s still not known what the call means, it could be anything from a unique mating call to a young baleen whale pursuing his career in EDM with the freshest techno beats this side of the Atlantic.

Entertainment:

Zsa Zsa Gabor, actress and famous crossword puzzle answer, has passed away at age 99. Not necessarily known for her roles, Zsa Zsa out lived her two other sisters and was the spitting image of “elite” constantly wearing fur and pearls, marrying EIGHT millionaires and of course calling everyone in her sight “dahhhrlink.”

Here’s the weekly news debrief, with things to know from around the world for December 12:

Vancouver:

Half of all Vancouver’s most expensive homes are secretly owned, meaning we have no idea whose fuelling the ultra-rich real estate market in the city. The NDP has called for more transparency, and to close the loophole on purchasing real estate through shell corporations.

Canada:

Syrian refugees celebrated one year officially coming to Canada over the weekend. Over 36,000 have been welcomed into Canada, and while it’s a good news story, the flip side is many are struggling to find work and their funding support was only meant to last a year.

US:

The CIA has “confidently” confirmed that Russia was involved in hacking to improve Trump’s odds at winning the Presidency. In an unprecedented move, but typical to Trump, he calls it nonsense, being the first incoming President to seriously undermine the CIA. At this point, Trump is going to convince the entire US population he is the only trustworthy person in America.

International:

The IOC has released a scathing report claiming Russia helped over 1,000 athletes tamper with doping tests in two Olympic games. And this apparently goes right to the Kremlin. It’s actually kinda crazy, the tests found male DNA in female athlete urine samples, so either Russia was cheating, or they’ve been secretly inserting men into the women’s games.

Tech:

Bill Gates, along with Alibaba head Jack Ma and other billionaires are launching a $1 Billion dollar fund to combat climate change. The fund is expected to run for 20 years and will help companies at all stages develop reliable and affordable clean tech. Looks like having a climate-change denying President may drive others to do it for him, that’s a small silver lining.

Science:

A very promising vaccine for HIV has been approved for Phase II trials, meaning it will be tested on HIV-negative patients to test the reliability of the drug. This is the biggest step medicine has taken to date in finding a vaccine for HIV and has already proven to be extremely effective in Phase I.

Entertainment:

Some guy who was fraudulently using his company credit card to buy things like cars and seasons tickets spent $1 Million dollars on the mobile game Game of War. One Million dollars on a mobile app!!

Fashion trends, Vancouver Startup Week, and business growth were key topics of conversation this past month. See how some of our clients tie into these conversations.

Vancouver Fashion PR

Michelle Lane – senior designer and stylist at Clearly.ca shares her top picks for the season on Brazen Woman. For those of us subjecting our eyes to screen glare for long periods of time, blogger Jamie Leigh reviews Clearly’s protective, yet stylish Blue Reflect lenses.

Vancouver Tech PR

Vancouver Startup Week attracted tech fans between September 21 and 25th. The Vancouver Economic Commission hosted #VanStartupCity at the Imperial to support Vancouver’s local startup ecosystem. Watch Sean Elbe on Breakfast Television as he celebrates local tech and recent success stories in the adventure and tech space including ShareShed, RentMoola, and Tinkerine. StartupCity events were also featured on CKNW, Vancouver Magazine and Business in Vancouver.

US Tech PR

At the European Cancer Congress in Vienna, OncoSec Medical announced positive results from the very first trial to combine merkel cell carcinoma with immunotherapy through its proprietary ImmunoPulse treatment.

Fin Tech PR

In the last week of September, Canadian entrepreneur Hamed Shahbazi was featured on Business News Network. As CEO of software company TIO Networks, he discusses the company’s rapid growth strategy, how it is competing in the United States, and its thoughts on national fintech players like PayPal.

Shopping for fall outfits? The Vancouver Sun lists Dish Performance Denim as THE pair of women’s jeans to shop for when playing with your fall wardrobe.

Biotech PR

Former President Jimmy Carter publicly announced his battle with cancer. Last week he elaborated on his choice of treatment: his own immune system (immunotherapy) with the support of a new drug called Keytruda. In the same arena, OncoSec Medical announced their first patient enrolled in a combination trial to test the safety and effectiveness of Immunopulse, their unique form of immunotherapy with Keytruda – the very same drug President Carter is using.

Get ready to shout-sing “Livin’ On A Prayer,” Vancouver. A Bon Jovi Vancouver concert is coming!

Rock superstar Jon Bon Jovi and The Kings of Suburbia will be playing a concert at Stanley Park’s Brockton Point on August 22.

UPDATE – June 12, 2015: Paper Rain Performances, a concert promoter in Vancouver, announced Jon Bon Jovi will kick off the Urban Forest concert series, which is based on presenting “the world’s greatest artists in the world’s grandest outdoor venues.”

The company will donate up to $100,000 of profit from ticket sales to imagine1day, a charity that works to connect people in Ethiopia to quality education free of foreign aid by 2030. The non-profit group was created by Lululemon founders Chip and Shannon Wilson in 2007.

The promoters of a summer concert in Stanley Park aren’t ready to reveal which “rock legend” will headline their show — but the photo they’re using in their advertising campaign is Jon Bon Jovi.

Although Paper Rain Performances play coy in online ads for An Urban Forest Concert: An Evening With A Rock Legend by not naming the headliner for the Aug. 22 show at Brockton Field, the Vancouver Sun has learned that it will be Jon Bon Jovi. . . .